Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a process appliance for the sequential processing of a number of semiconductor wafers, using at least one micro measuring instrument to determine the quality of the process carried out in the process appliance.
During the production of semiconductor products with a widely branched chain of individual production steps, one main focus of attention in relation to cost efficiency lies in the optimal utilization of the existing process appliances, with a simultaneously high quality of the products.
In this case, the optimal utilization in a fabrication shop is normally ensured by an internal factory planning system (CIM, Computer Integrated Manufacturing), while the quality is normally monitored by the measuring instruments following the respective process in conjunction with various methods of evaluation.
Silicon wafers count as a typical example of semiconductor products. As a rule, there are large numbers of wafers to be processed in the same way. xe2x80x9cIn the same wayxe2x80x9d here means identical chemical and physical characteristicsxe2x80x94in particular of the surface, for example structure sizes or layout compositions. Because of identical process conditions, the wafers to be processed in the same way are combined into groups and are processed one after another, that is to say sequentially, or in parallel chambers in process appliances for the respective fabrication step. Wafers passing jointly through the individual fabrication stepsxe2x80x94normally combined into wafer carriers, as they are knownxe2x80x94are referred to as a batch which, for example, can consist of 25 wafers. If such a batch passes to the input of a process appliance, then the wafers contained briefly form a batch queue, also referred to merely as a xe2x80x9cbatchxe2x80x9d below, because of the processing, which is often possible only sequentially.
The finally processed, for example 25 wafers, are normally combined again and are fed to one or more measuring instruments to measure the quality of the process just carried out. For this purpose, a number of different types of microscope measuring instruments are used in the semiconductor industry. Designated by this term in this document are optical microscope measuring instruments, and those operating in the ultraviolet, for measuring the positional accuracy or structure sizes etc., but also microscopes in the wider sense, such as a scanning electron microscope (SEM), or AFM (Atomic Force Microscope), or else measuring instruments operating with interference, such as layer thickness measuring instruments, particle counters etc., or in general terms defect inspection instruments. This corresponds to the English language designation xe2x80x9cmetrology toolsxe2x80x9d which is usual in the semiconductor industry.
Various process-relevant parameters are measured during such an inspection, the methods of statistical process control (SPC) normally being applied nowadays for the selection. Because not every batch or each product batch is inspected, but instead randomly selected entities are measured in accordance with statistical methods, on the one hand additional capacity of the abovementioned microscope measuring instrument can advantageously be released. If problems occur for example measured values lying close to specification limitsxe2x80x94the statistical samples can be adapted dynamically.
On the other hand, measured value histories can also be monitored, in order to be able to establish characteristic system trends of the process appliance, such as systematic parameter displacements and violations of limiting values which may possibly result from these and manifest themselves. Likewise, by averaging as a function of the time, systematic measured value jumps can be determined from the history, which are then compared with results from the process appliance history.
Using the findings obtained from this, the process parameter adjustments of the process appliance considered can be readjusted or optimized.
In this case, it is a disadvantage that these optimizations can take effect only on the next batch brought up to the process appliance or, respectively, the wafers belonging to said batch. For the batch which has just been processed it is true, firstly, that in the event of system errors occurring in the process appliance, all contained are affected as a whole and therefore have to be sent to rework, that is to say reprocessing. For this reason, additional costs arise and the yield can decrease disadvantageously.
On the other hand, effects that act only on individual wafers can be overlooked by the manner of statistical sampling. Furthermore, it is not ensured that the assumption that the process optimizations consequent on the batch currently being processed are subject to the same conditions as for the following batch is justified.
Another method constitutes that from a preceding wafer. Before the actual production batch of wafers is started, a precursor, normally functioning as a test wafer, is processed and is then transferred as quickly as possible to the metrology tool, after which the process parameters of the process appliance can then be adjusted for the following. This method has the particular disadvantage that not only is it necessary for the wafers of the batch to wait for the measurement of the precursor and as a result be processed later, but also an unproductive time has to be kept free for the process appliance itself.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to increase the proportion of useful time of process appliances for semiconductor fabrication, to reduce the production time of semiconductor products and to improve the yield in the process appliances.
The object is achieved by a method of controlling a process appliance for the sequential processing of a number of semiconductor wafers, using at least one microscope measuring instrument for determining the quality of the process carried out in the process appliance, target and limiting values for structure parameters on the wafer being predefined, comprising the steps of: processing a first wafer in the process appliance, transferring the wafer to the microscope measuring instrument, measuring structure parameters of structures formed or modified on the wafer in the process, processing a second wafer during the measurement of the first wafer, comparing the measured values of the structure parameters with the predefined target and limiting values, generating a result signal as a function of the comparison result, and transmitting the signal to the process appliance.
According to the present method, a first leading wafer is processed in a process appliance and then transferred to a microscope measuring instrument to measure the structure parameters. Process appliance includes all the appliances which are normally used in semiconductor production and which perform chemical or physical changes in or on the wafer or the substrate. These therefore include in particular all appliances in the lithography sequence, etching chambers, developers, CMP appliances, ovens, implanters, deposition tools (CVD, PVD, PECVD, etc.) and more of the like. Designated microscope measuring appliances arexe2x80x94as mentioned at the beginningxe2x80x94all optical or ultraviolet illuminating microscope types, adjustment measuring instruments, scanning electron microscopes, AFM and also instruments operating interferometrically or acoustically for measurements of position, layer thickness, inclination angle or structure widths.
The present invention permits the processing of a second wafer from the batch, during sequential processing, directly after the conclusion of the process for the first wafer. The time during which the first wafer processed would have to wait for the fabrication of the second wafer is advantageously used for the inspection or measurement of the metrology parameters which necessarily have to be measured for the quality of the process respectively carried out.
The advantage accordingly resides in the fact that the preceding wafer neither has to be separated from the batch as a test wafer and subsequently disposed of, the remaining quantity of wafers in the batch waiting unprocessed for the measurement and the measured results, nor that all the wafers in the batch have to be processed in order then to be measured from statistical points of view. The associated disadvantage, that all the wafers of the batch can be impaired in terms of their quality by, for example, unsuitably adjusted system or process parameters of the process appliance, is removed according to the present invention. This is because the measured results returning from the leading wafer can be used for a correction or optimization of the process parameter adjustment of the process appliance during the processing of a second wafer of the batch. In this document, the second wafer does not necessary refer to the second wafer in the processing sequence but to any desired further wafer in the processing sequence. At which second wafer in the sequence the measured results from the leading wafer enter and become effective in a process of optimization depends on the level of automation of the transport path, the number of structures which have to be measured, and the number of microscope measuring instruments for measuring the structure parameters. Modern transport systems and clean-room subdivisions, that is to say arrangements of process appliances and metrology tools, may already permit sufficiently fast feedback to the appliance control system, however.
The comparison of measured structure parameters with predefined limiting values can be carried out in a conventional way. In the case of the result signal, there are various possible formations, for example a data input which is input into appropriate databases via an installed bus system belonging to the internal factory CIM or MES system (Manufacturing Execution System), from which database it is ready to be called by means of appliance hosts, that is to say the control unit of the process appliance. Alternatively, within the same context of the MES system, it is transmitted directly to the control unit of the process appliance as a programming event. The result signal can accordingly comprise a sequence of data elements containing measured results or else only a yes/no verification of compliance with predefined limiting values or specifications. The critical factor is that the result signal can be used to trigger the further fabrication path of the second wafer.
The advantage arises in particular when the result of the measurement comparison is positive, so that by means of the result signal, the second and further wafers do not also have to be subjected to a measurement, but can be fed directly to following processes. At the same time, by using the information, a process parameter adjustment of the process appliance can be improved recursively.
In this way, the utilization of the process appliance is improved, the production of semiconductor products is accelerated and the yield during production is increased.
In a further refinement of the present invention, a mechanism for initiating the measurement of a leading wafer is considered. The chemical or physical process parameters that influence the processing of the wafer, such as temperature, chemical composition, process duration, intensity, pressure etc., are followed in the process appliance and recorded. If the recorded values exceed the process limiting value associated with a process parameter, which may also depend on the wafer specification, then a warning signal is generated for this purpose and is preferably provided by an appropriate database entry for the relevant wafer. From a batch, for example the wafer provided with the corresponding flag is then selected as the leading, first wafer, that is to say provided for the measurement. By means of this method, which can be designated APC (Advanced Process Control) in analogy with SPC, the wafers counted as particularly critical can be prepared for the measurement from the start. This is because process conditions running outside the limiting values can often lead to corresponding violations of the wafer specification. By means of this APC method in combination with a leading wafer, the yield for the corresponding process appliance is additionally increased.
In a further refinement, a further advantage of time saving is achieved by means of application and combination with SPC methods. By drawing up trend maps, as they are known, that is to say recordings of measured values of various structure parameters through the microscope measuring instrument and plotting against time, trends can be determined or sudden jumps in the process conditions can be determined retroactively or predictively in the first case. In interplay with the present invention, this method becomes particularly advantageous if, on the basis of such a calculation, a signal describing this event is generated and is evaluated for the further planning of the fabrication path of the second and further following wafer. The event reported therefore corresponds, for example, to a process parameter drift or a jump established as a result of external influences on the process appliance. This event will preferably be entered into an event database or reported directly to the internal factory planning system (MES). The objective in this case is to examine a further leading wafer in such a way that it is precisely only the structure parameter that characterizes the drift or jump problem that is measured for the wafer.
On the one hand, the time-consuming measurement of structure parameters that are not relevant to this problem is advantageously dispensed with as a result, on the other hand, in the standard case, it may be possible to obtain structure parameters that have not necessarily been measured, by initiating the appropriate measurement.
In a further refinement, the generation of an event signal for an activity connected with repair or maintenance is produced. Following work of this type on the process appliance, such as the replacement of system parts, process parameters or their adjustments are generally changed. As a result, corresponding jumps of structure parameters measured in the microscope measuring instrument are to be expected, so that in accordance with this refinement, a first measurement is advantageously initiated by a leading wafer. Repair or maintenance activities substantially fall under the categories xe2x80x9cscheduled downxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cunscheduled downxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cpreventive maintenancexe2x80x9d, etc. The corresponding planning tasks are managed by the object module (RTC, Resource Tracking Control) of the internal factory CIM or MES systems. Corresponding planned or unplanned events are reported on appropriate bus systems andxe2x80x94as in the case of combining the invention with SPC methodsxe2x80x94can be used causally for the selection of suitable structure parameters of the leading wafer for the measurement in the microscope measuring instrument.
Further refinements of the invention are specified in the subclaims.
The invention will be explained in more detail below using three exemplary embodiments and drawings.